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6 posts categorized "Cuddlr"

PAPER MAGAZINE - Feb 8 - Spoonr, originally called Cuddlr, was an app that helped connect those hoping to cuddle. Cuddlr launched in Sep 2014. With 200K downloads immediately, it hit Apple's list of "Top 10 Most Downloaded Apps," and attracted outlets like the New York Times and the Washington Post. The reviews rolled in just a week later, and they weren't pretty. Less than six months later, the creators shut the app down. Then New York entrepreneur Eugene Bentley purchased the app, and a year after Cuddlr's inception, rebranded and relaunched it as "Spoonr." Bentley boasted 300K followers and spoke of hoping to reach 500K in the following six months. Early last year, Spoonr was abandoned. What exactly happened to Spoonr is unclear, but it's likely the app was plagued with the same issues it had when it was Cuddlr - people with motives that contradicted the app's mission statement, co-opting it to hook-up.

INDEPENDENT.CO.UK - Cuddlr launched in Sep 2014 and gained users quickly thanks to press coverage. It was an app for people who were up for a cuddle. It was supposed to be strictly platonic but not everyone was convinced. Metro published an article titled: "Keep your hugs – the new Cuddlr app sounds seriously creepy." This controversy stirred further interest, and within the first week Cuddlr had 200K downloads. But almost as quickly as it appeared, Cuddlr was gone. (The app shut down in March 2015) The team spent a lot of time trying to get people to understand how it worked. But the story of Cuddlr did not end. The app has been acquired by New York-based entrepreneur Eugene Belenky, who relaunched it in September with the same premise but a different name: Spoonr.

MACOBSERVER - Dec 11 - Physical contact is an important part of human interaction. That can be as simple as a hand shake or hug, or something they see as more intimate without becoming sexual, like snuggling. There are a few app for cuddling - CuddleBids and Cuddlr, both tout themselves as a sort of social network where people who simply want some human contact without sexual overtones can connect.

BUSINESS INSIDER - Nov 20 - Cuddlr app has been questioned a lot since it launched worldwide in Sep. Some criticise it for being male-dominated, while others have complained of meeting up for a cuddle, only to be stood up. According to Cuddlr's co-founder, Charlie Williams, the app has been downloaded 214K times and saw ~9K "cuddles" in the first week of launch. Cuddlr works like Tinder. People connect the app to their Facebook profile, and the app shares the first name and pictures of cuddle candidates within walking distance. Users tap the picture to request a cuddle.

SALON.COM - Sep 19 - Cuddlr is a new app that launched in the iTunes store last week. Users sign up with Facebook and browse nearby cuddle partners. If they like someone, they send them a cuddle invite. They have 15 mins to accept. If all goes well, the app then leads them to each other for a cuddle in public or private.